


Survival

by Narina



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2019 [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Nohrian Court, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, royal siblings mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 13:11:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narina/pseuds/Narina
Summary: Nohrian nobles are terrible and Hinoka has to learn how to deal with them.





	Survival

Despite their peace treaty, Hinoka was sure she wouldn’t have lasted a week in Nohr without the royals supporting her. She had been warned and prepared and yet she had not expected just how petty some of the nobles could act. They treated her alright – she was Xander’s wife and the mother of Prince Siegbert, after all – but they didn’t like her. They sometimes turned away too early, they pretended not to see her and they came up with countless excuses. Meanwhile, they also kept trying to kill each other or present themselves as possible concubines which made her long for her naginata. 

“How did you ever manage to survive this?”

“By learning all about the backstabbing and how to avoid it. And because Camilla decided she liked me.”

Hinoka snorted. “That sounds more likely.” She pulled the covers up, still not used to those soft beds people here slept on. Xander had offered to get her a futon but she wanted to get used to it. Wanted people to see she was fit to be Queen of Nohr.

“I don’t think any of us had a particularly pleasant childhood. Changing things will take time.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a small smile as he got into bed next to her. She was proud that she had successfully managed to get him to sleep at responsible hours, not doze at his desk a while. “I will not give up.”

~

Things did get easier with time. She learned about Nohrian dances and meals. Elise sometimes dragged her away by the wrist, saving her from the most obnoxious nobles. Leo bowed down, quietly asking for a dance when she felt too crowded. Camilla was always a safe place, needing only small gazed to figure out how to act. She much like Xander in that aspect and Hinoka was thankful they both knew how to read her, how to read each other and how to react.

Xander’s smile as they finally got to dance together that evening was small, barely noticeable. It was also full of worries, full of questions. Hinoka squeezed his hand, reassuring him that she was fine. They could talk about everything by now but they didn’t need to. Small gestures, a quick exchange without words. It had started in the war, when she had been up in the air and he on horseback and really, what was the Nohrian court but another battlefield? She was a warrior, so she allowed Xander to spin her around, satisfied at the envious look people gave her. They would learn soon enough why he had chosen her.


End file.
